AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'In this article, I examine the partial, "unearthed" remains of 'the first fully fledged Australian pantomime', "The Bunyip, Or, The Enchantment of Fairy Princess Wattle Blossom", produced by Sir Benjamin Fuller and his brother John; I trace its production history and examine its significance as a register of national identity between 1916 and 1925 - a period from the zenith of Australia's fighting in World War I to repatriation of the troops and peacetime. This investigation provides a case study in which to explore the significance of early twentieth-century Australian pantomime as more than a site for fairytale plot and spectacle.' Martina Lipton.